Google Does What Apple Don’t

Genesis does what Nintendon’t. Remember that slogan? That was when the superior Sega Genesis came out to compete with the dominant NES console. Sega was 16-bit while the NES was still 8-bit. Sega had better graphics, better music, and plenty of better games like Golden Axe, Sonic and Altered Beast. It’s not really a comparison until the Super Nintendo (SNES) came out. Google just recently made an announcement that could change the personal computing landscape. Something that Apple can’t or won’t.

We don’t speak for all Macbook fans, but they’re probably wondering or already resenting why Macbooks have yet to get touchscreens like many Windows-powered laptops. It shouldn’t be that hard, eh Apple? Say Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 sucks but they’re great for what they were built for, touchscreens. Another big question is the strange decision to use iOS on the iPad Pro instead of Mac OS if Apple wants to compete with Microsoft’s Surface.

It all comes down to the bottom line. If the iPad Pro was given Mac OS instead of iOS, Apple would have a real competitor to the Surface Pro however, the iPad Pro would cannibalize sales of Macbooks. Why bother with a laptop form factor if a lighter hybrid was available. Now if touchscreens were put on Macbooks, the already stale iPad market could go down further.

Unlike Apple, Microsoft invested in hybrids from day one when they released Windows 8 and the Surface tablets. They have no problem with hardware products cannibalizing each other. On the software side, Microsoft has committed itself in providing universal apps that can be used on Windows 10 laptops, tablets and hybrids, on the Xbox and on Windows Phone. With Continuum technology, cellphones can be used as portable CPUs. Perhaps Microsoft realized they shot themselves in the foot with continuum thus the seeming lack of effort on Windows 10 Mobile, but they’re working on the Surface phone aren’t they?

Google has the same business model as Apple with Chromebook laptops and Nexus tablets. Android and Chrome OS are two different beasts. But unlike Apple, Google likes to shake things up. Even though Chrome and Android are both derived from Linux, Chrome can’t run Android apps—until now. Google announced that the Google Play Store will be made available to the Chromebook, which will enable Android to run on Chrome OS. Doing so isn’t new to Chrome. Running Android apps are made possible through third-party apps like the ARC project on Chrome and Bluestacks on Windows, but the trick is to do so natively. Google has created an Android subsystem in a Chrome OS update much like the Ubuntu subsystem within Windows 10 that allowed Windows 10 users to run Bash. This new development has Chromebook users very excited, and sales of Chromebooks are expected to skyrocket. Chromebook shipments have already overtaken Macbooks.

It’s mostly a matter of preference for users or better research on the target market. Apple wants a one-size-fits-all thing with the iPad Pro. They want it as both a consumer and enterprise tool. They’re making inroads on the enterprise by partnering with SAP. But a Mac OS powered tablet seems to be a better idea for better productivity. Like Google, allowing the marriage of Mac OS and iOS would be a great idea. The inter-sharing of apps between the two operating systems would be a boon to Apple fans. It would then be up to Apple users what hardware form factor they want, instead of having a separate iPhone, a Macbook and an iPad at home.

But unfortunately, that’s exactly what Apple wants. An iPhone, an iPad, a Macbook, a Mac, an Apple Watch and Apple TV in every home. Such a scheme, however, makes this tech giant seem backwards compared to Google, which isn’t afraid to step out of its comfort zone. Both companies have tons of cash to throw around, but Apple would rather fight Uber in China.